Heart and Soul by Maeve Binchy
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Book Reviews of Heart and Soul
Book Review: Lots of heart and plenty of soul
Summary: 5 Stars
I have been a fan of Ms Binchy's works since I was in college back in the 90s, and have faithfully collected all of her works. The wonder of Binchy's novels is that they are peopled with ordinary characters who seemingly lead average lives, but she fleshes out these characters so well and creates intricate storylines that make readers truly care about what happens to these characters. I always feel comforted by her books, and associate them with feelings of warmth,humor, wit and a deep sympathy for the trials of the average Joes and Janes portrayed within.
In her latest effort, "Heart and Soul", Binchy centers her story around St Brigid's Heart Clinic, a specialist clinic in Dublin. The hospital head has other, more lucrative plans in mind for the site, but is thwarted by the industrious Dr Clara Casey,who takes on responsibility as director of the under-funded clinic. Clara manages to assemble a team of able staff and runs the clinic with efficiency, though she herself has problems of her own. She has to deal with problems on the domestic front - two difficult, grown-up daughters, and an ex-husband.
But as with Binchy's other novels, the story is not merely Clara's alone. There are other characters and they each have their own issues - there's Ania, the Polish immigrant with the specter of a failed love in her past; Declan, the young doctor who forms an attachment to a nurse Fiona, though he still lives at home with his parents;Bobby, a patient at the clinic who has a difficult wife; Father Bryan Flynn, and even a stalker!
Besides being a heartwarming and riveting read, the bonus here is that we have some characters from her earlier novels within this novel. Those who have read Binchy's earlier works such as Evening Class, Quentins, Scarlet Feather will recognize some familiar characters and places.
Though I find each Binchy novel a treat to savor and relish for as long as I can, I do have a special fondness for her earlier works and count "Circle of Friends", "Glass Lake", "Light a Penny Candle", "Evening Class", and "Tara Road" amongst my personal favorites.
"Heart and Soul" reminds me of Binchy's older works - it brings back the magic of insight into each character, presented in a very human manner and leaves one with an indescribable feeling of 'loss' when the book comes to an end. This book has plenty of heart and soul!
Book Review: This is the perfect metaphor for a tale about love, of all varieties, lost and found
Summary: 5 Stars
Bestselling author Maeve Binchy is the undisputed modern-day mother of Irish fiction. In her latest novel, HEART AND SOUL, she once again taps into the very soul of the Irish people, portraying in her characters their often irreverent wit, tough stoic exteriors and soft sensitivities.
HEART AND SOUL opens with a prologue describing the establishment of a new heart clinic. Binchy writes of the clinic's board members: "(they) had been foolishly influenced by some statistic recently published that seemed to prove the Irish had more than their fair share of heart failure." This is the perfect metaphor for a tale about love, of all varieties, lost and found.
Clara Casey, the head of the underfunded clinic, sets about to create a state-of-the-art clinic despite not really wanting the job. Still trying to find herself after a three-year separation from a philandering husband, she throws herself into the task, disregarding the hospital administrators at every juncture. She gathers around her a patchwork crowd of characters, including nurses, a young doctor, an aide, a security guard and an assistant. They are a motley group that quickly forms a well-oiled machine. And what unfolds in HEART AND SOUL are their stories. The center Clara first described as "the place without a soul" evolves into a place not only with soul but with lots of love.
Declan, a doctor, and Fiona, a nurse, find each other --- and, in the process, also find love. Hilary struggles with how to care for an aging and ailing mother who helped her raise her son. Ania suffers heartache over a married man who led her on but finds someone new at the hospital. And there are the patients themselves, who ease their way into the reader's heart with their oh-so-human quirks, like Judy and her dogs, which she considers to be her loves. And finally there's Clara herself, who spent years "hiding her feelings and disguising her reactions."
The clinic has curative powers, for sure. Hearts are restored to good health, physically and emotionally. In the end, describing the clinic and the romances that developed, Clara jokingly says, "[W]e can say the objectives have all been achieved." And Binchy's objective --- another great story of the endurance of the Irish people --- is achieved as well, with warmth and spirit, and heart and soul.
--- Reviewed by Roberta O'Hara
Book Review: Comforts of Home and Heart...at Work
Summary: 5 Stars
In Maeve Binchy's Heart and Soul, we are immediately welcomed into a circle of warmth and comfort, as we are introduced to each character in this small "heart clinic" in Dublin, Ireland. Adjacent to the hospital, this newly created clinic offers after-care to heart patients--care with a very personal touch. Dr. Clara Casey heads up the clinic, but is known to all as "Clara." This informality and the personal touch both irritate and gall the "money man" from the hospital side (Frank Ennis), who does everything in his power to thwart Clara at every turn.
Nevertheless, she is able to get the clinic up and running and surrounds herself with like-minded staff. Even her personal assistant (Ania), a Polish girl living hand-to-mouth until Clara takes her under her wing, is somewhat of a personal project. Desperate to escape a past of tragic mistakes, Ania is determined to earn enough money to send to her mother in Poland, and somehow alleviate the shame she believes she has brought upon her family.
Each staff member has an equally compelling back-story, and as the weeks and months pass, we become entwined in each of their tales--from the love-challenged Fiona and Declan to Clara's own daughter Linda--until finally, we begin to see how the warm circle of love that surrounds Clara and her crew is like a family. We root for each family member and hope that they will find some happiness.
And we definitely hope that Clara will win the battle of wills with her anti-hero Frank--who, in the end, may not be as bad as we thought!
One intriguing aspect of Binchy's books is how she brings in characters from other books, like the oddly fascinating twins Maud and Simon from Scarlet Feather. In this way, the reader is gifted with the cozy contentment that all of these characters are our friends. We expect that we will meet them again--somewhere around the bend, perhaps in another of Binchy's books. And this evokes the desire to curl up with a cup of tea on a blistery day in a lovely sitting room.
Laurel-Rain Snow
Book Review: multifaceted look at relationships
Summary: 5 Stars
Cardiologist Dr. Clara Casey knows how far she has fallen from grace with her new position as the head of t St. Brigid's Hospital. She agreed to a one year stint at the always in financial need clinic while trying to resuscitate her medical career. She does no care about revising her dead marriage as she knows it collapsed due to her cheating spouse's wandering penis. She also has two adult daughters who are demanding and spoiled and her ex keeps sniffing around her.
Clara plans to do the best she can at St. Brigid's and ignore her family as much as possible. She finds her staff hardworking and cheerful in spite of lousy hours, crappy pay, and fractious patients. Her Polish assistant Ania is bright and hardworking although Clara knows if she had been in Ireland she could have been one of her former husband's trophies. Instead she is an indispensable addition to the staff. Nurse Fiona Ryan brings professional care taking to the patients having moved past her personal disaster of NIGHTS OF RAIN AND STARS. Outside the clinic Clara meets friendly people especially at a local restaurant. Clara is having the time of her life and considers extending her stay though her daughters and her ex object; like they have a vote on her life.
The fascination with this fine entry by Maeve Binchy is that the star of the story line Clara is off page more often than not as the spotlight is frequently on the support cast in and out of the hospital; the amazement is how well the plot stays focused even meandering to other countries. The cast is strong as always and their lives interweave in a much more complex convoluted intricacies that make the DNA matrix look like a preschool puzzle. With the return of characters like the nurse from previous novels, fans of Ms. Binchy will have a wonderful time reading her latest multifaceted look at relationships.
Harriet Klausner
Book Review: The Return of an Old and Good Frend
Summary: 5 Stars
It is always wonderful when a new Maeve Binchy book appears - fans of hers know that this is a golden opportunity to put your feet up, grab a warm drink and immerse yourself in the world that she provides us. It is almost like receiving a long letter from an old and good friend.
There is something almost formulaic in her writing - certainly there are no shocking surprises, but this is not in any way a flaw. Where the charm lies is the characters - all are so well created that we can empathise with their day to days trials and tribulations, and genuinely care what happens to them. The scenarios that she creates for them are those that almost everyone can identify and sympathise with, and we also share their joy at their triumphs.
Such is the case with this novel. Clara, the lead character, is a woman frustrated by missing out on what she thought would be her defining professional opportunity. She agrees to set up and run a heart clinic for 12 months, and in doing so gathers around her not only new and interesting characters, but those from previous novels that her fans will immediately recognise. It's an interesting plot device, and very clever, as it builds on her ability to make us care about her characters, and we as fans are usually quite happy to have another chapter of their lives.
Of course we can almost predict the outcome, but the journey is wonderful - we laugh with the characters, and we feel their disappointments and are pleased when things turn out the way they do. Maeve Binchy has a true gift in engaging her readers, and this novel never fails to deliver what her fans love about her.
Enjoy!